Barney Mulloy.

"Half a minute will do," returned Frank.

"We refuse ter obey ye now," boldly spoke the man who had commanded his
companions to stop. "Muriel has signaled ter us, an' he means fer us ter
wait till he-uns arrives."

"Wait!" howled Miller. "They sha'n't escape!"

He snatched out a revolver, pointed it straight at Frank's breast, and
fired!

Just as the desperate ruffian was pulling the trigger, the man nearest
him struck up his hand, and the bullet passed through Frank's hat,
knocking it to the ground.

Miller was furious as a maniac, but, at this moment, the black horse
and the dashing rider burst in upon the scene, plunged straight through
the circle, halting at the side of the imperiled lads, the horse being
flung upon its haunches.

"Wal, what be you-uns doin'?" demands a clear, ringing voice. "What work
is this, that I don't know erbout?"

The men were silent. Wade Miller cowered before the chief of the
moonshiners, trying to hide the revolver.

Muriel's eyes, gleaming through the twin holes of the mask he wore,
found Miller, and the clear voice cried:

"You-uns has been lettin' this critter lead ye inter somethin'! An' it's
fair warnin' I gave him ter keep clear o' meddlin' with my business."

The boys gazed at the moonshiner chief in amazement, for Muriel looked
no more than a boy as he sat there on his black horse, and his voice
seemed the voice of a boy instead of that of a man. Yet it was plain
that he governed these desperate ruffians of the mountains with a hand
of iron, and they feared him.

"We-uns war 'bout ter hang two revernues," explained Miller.

Muriel looked at the boys.

"Revernues?" he said, doubtfully. "How long sence ther gover'ment has
been sendin' boys hyar ter spy on us?"

"They know what happens ter ther men they send," muttered Miller.

"Wal, 'tain't like they'd be sendin' boys arter men failed."

"That's ther way they hope ter fool us."

"An' how do you know them-uns is revernues?"

"We jest s'picions it."

"An' you-uns war hangin' 'em on s'picion, 'thout lettin' me know?"

"We never knows whar ter find ye, Muriel."

"That is nary excuse, fer ef you-uns had held them-uns a day I'd knowed
it. It looks like you-uns war in a monstr'us hurry."

"It war he-uns," declared one of the black hoods, pointing to Miller.
"He-uns war in ther hurry."

"We don't gener'ly waste much time in dinkerin' 'roun' with anybody
we-uns thinks is revernues," said Miller.